Brick-kiln



(No Mbael.) y 24 sheets-sheen 1^. W. H. MELCHBR.

BRIGKKILN.

No. 29e-,489; Patentedreb. 12,. 1884.

Ffa. I2.

WfTNEsEsl' Wm www Unire Srafrns Aralar @maca VILLIAM H. MELHER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BRICK-KILN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentY No. 293,489, dated February 12, 1884.

Application filed August 24, 1883. '(No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it muy concern;

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. Mnncnnn a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented' certain Improvements in Brick-Kilns, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists, mainly, of the combi nation, in a brick-kiln, of a chamber in which the bricksyare burned, a-combustion-chamber beneath the said brick-burning chamber,V a perforated iioor of arched brick-work, and sundry fire-places, all substantially as described hereinafter, the object of my invention being to burn all the bricks in the kiln to a uniform condition.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure `1, Sheet l, is a front view of the kiln; Fig. 2, a vertical section on the line l 2, Fig. l; Fig. 3, Sheet 2, a vertical section on the line 3 4, Fig. 2; and Fig. 4l, a sectionalplan on the line 5 6.

The kiln A is preferably of the quadrangular form shown in Fig. 4, c c being the opposite side walls, and b b the opposite end walls. The structure is separated by a series of brickwork arches into two` main compartments or chambers-namely, the upper or `burning chamber, D, and beneath the llatter the lower compartment or combustion-chamber,E. There are in the present instance two sets, B B', of brick arches, those of one set having their abutments on one side wall, a, and the central wall, d, and the arches of the other set, B, having their abutments on theopposite side wall, c', and the said central wall. The arches of each setv are arranged a'short distanceabout-an inch and a hali-apart from each other, the spaces between these arches affordv ing direct communications .between the burning-chamber and combustion-chamber beneath. The system of arches with intervening spaces affords, in reality, a perforated iioor for supporting the bricks to be burned, and while this floor may consist of continuous arches with openings at frequent intervals, or may be made of perforated bricks, I prefer a succession of arches with intervening spaces in the manner described. The central supporting-wall, d, is arched, as shown in Fig. 2, for it is desirable that the combustion-cham'- ber E should extend both laterally and longitudinally to the walls of the structure, and should be as free as possible from all obstructions, ythe object being to obtain an extended chamber, within which the products of 'comto passingthrough the openings in the iioor.

NVhen the structure is 0f quadrangular form, as shown, I prefer to combine with it fcuriireplaces,` G, two at each end, as .shown in Fig. 4, each nre-place having a grate, f, a fuel-door, h, and ash-pit door, z', as shown in Fig. 2.

When a rapid burning of the bricks is desired, I introduce into the ash-pit air under pressure obtained from any available source;

Abut I prefer for obtaining the desired blast any of the well-known ejectors. Thus in Fig. l a nozzle communicating with a steampipe, IV, is contained within each blast-pipe H, the jet of steam inducing air to rush into the end of the pipe and through the same into the ash-pit. y

In the operation of brick-kilns as usually constructed, more or less difficulty is experi` enced in burning the mass of bricks to a uniform condition--a difiiculty which is attributable to the contracted passages or lines formed in stacking the bricks, many of the bricks being thus exposed to the direct action ofthe products of combustion, and being thus overburned, while others are insufficiently burned. This difficulty is obviated by my improved kiln, in the burning-chamber oi' which the bricks are so stacked upon the arched and perforated iioor that there shall be suitable interstices for the permeation of the products of combustion through the mass. The products of combustion from the fireplaces, instead of passing directly to the stacked bricks, as in ordinary kilns, are first disseminated through out the combusti oil-chamber E, `wh ence they aredistributed alike to all the perforations of the iioor, and pass through the same to the stacked bricks. As the kilniis always open at the top, there can be no tendency of the products oi' combustion to deviate from a direct course, and as these products are disseminated throughout a chamber as extensive, or nearly so, as that which contains the stacked bricks, the result will be the uniform burning of the same. A iilling, t, Fig. 3, of bricks or fragments of bricks, is placed in IOC 55 bustion may expand and be disseminated prior the depressions formed at the top of the arches, so as to form a comparatively level ioor, the lling being such as to afford a free passage for the products of combustion; or the 5 bricks of the arches may be such that the ioor will be level without any lling.

When'the kiln is of the quadrangularform shown, I erect braces N, against the opposite side walls, as seen in Fig. l, so as to enable the said walls to better resist the tendency which the arches, owing to the weight of the stacked bricks, have to thrust the walls outward; but if the kiln be round, the walls may be stayed by bands. The number of sets of arches will depend upon'the dimensions of the kiln, and the same may be said as regards the number of fire-places; but itis advisable in all cases that the products of combustion should be introduced into the chamber E at different points, so that the said products may be uniformly distributed throughout the said chamber.

I do not desire to claim, broadly, in a brickkiln a perforated arched ioor irrespective of 25. the character of the floor.

fire-places communicating with the said combustion-chamber, all substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the chambers D and E of the kiln, perforated iloor, and fire-places with blast-pipes, through which air under pressure is introduced into the ash-pits of the :tire-places, substantially as specified.'

In testimony whereofI have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WM. H. MELOHER.

Vitnesses:

HARRY L. Asi-IENFELTER, HARRY SMITH.' 

